Spice Up Your Valentine’s Day Meal with Lobster Carbonara

Happy Valentine’s Day! Jalapeno Miss made a special request for tonight’s meal, but she was slightly vague. Her request – Carbonara! I take that as a special challenge to make it fun and interesting. So, here’s the plan – Spicy Lobster Carbonara with Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad. She’s in charge of the drinks. It’s fun to make meals at home instead of going out, especially on days meant for romance. The recipes will be variations of some that I’ve made in the past, so I’m happy to share. Give them a try!

Spicy Lobster Carbonara with Fresno Chili Peppers

Spicy Lobster Carbonara with Fresno Chili Peppers

Ingredients

2 5-ounce lobster tails

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

8 ounces farfalle pasta

3 eggs

4 ounces shredded fresh Parmesan cheese

4 ounces pancetta

1-2 teaspoons chili powder (I’m using a bit of habanero powder and some jalapeno powder – Cajun seasonings will work great here as well)

4 Fresno chili peppers, julienned.

Olive oil for topping

Black pepper to taste

Extra shredded Parmesan for topping as desired

Cooking Directions

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Slice the top shells of the lobster tails and pull out the meat so it rests atop the shells. Dust with a bit of chili powder and set onto baking sheets.

Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until lobster is cooked through.

Remove lobster meat from shells and roughly chop.

Heat a pan to medium heat and add butter. Allow to melt. Add lobster and lime juice. Swirl to coat the lobster and remove from heat. Set lobster aside until ready to use.

While lobster is cooking, heat a separate pan to medium heat and add the pancetta. Cook about 10 minutes, or until pancetta is nice and crispy. Set aside to cool. Crumble the pancetta.

To the same pan, add julienned Fresno peppers. Cook about 5 minutes, or until peppers are softened. Remove from heat and set aside.

While peppers are cooking, boil the farfalle noodles to desired doneness.

About Mike from Madness

Mike Hultquist is a chili pepper and spicy food enthusiast with an insane desire to play in the kitchen. He's all about cooking with chili peppers, but also loves chili pepper gardening, preserving, and experimenting with new and creative ways to incorporate spicy food into life. He's also a produced screenwriter, novelist, food writer and web site developer.